Paralysis
by FemaleSpock
Summary: A dream doesn't have to mean anything. Sinedd/D'jok; Mei/D'jok. Set between S2 and S3. For mercuuu.


Paralysis 

**Disclaimer: I do not own Galactik Football and I make no money from this fanfiction. **

**This fic is dedicated to mercuuu (from tumblr) who is also known as hirundinidae (I hope I spelled that right) on this site. She gave me the prompt: 'D'jok has a dream about Sinedd. When he's sleeping with Mei. She reacts poorly.' I hope you like it mercuuu!**

His adoptive mother had always said that dreams were important; she said they could often act as windows to the truth. She liked to look for hidden meanings and prophecies in the dreams of her clients. She said she sometimes received her strongest visions whilst she was asleep. He'd never been sure how much of that he had believed, he usually found that the images that filled his head whilst he slept were nonsensical and meaninglessly random. He certainly couldn't say that Micro-ice's dreams (that he seemed to enjoy relating to D'jok in great detail) were anything another than wild imaginings in which he was a chick magnet.

But on the other hand, he'd always liked to think that the dreams he had had in which he was on the pitch, grasping the Galactik Football cup, were signs of the great destiny that lay ahead for him.

He supposed he was proved right on that front. Being truthful, he fell more on the side of believing Maya was right.

It was more that sometimes he simply didn't want to believe. His dreams weren't all filled with happiness and becoming the greatest striker to ever grace the field. No, sometimes he had nightmares; dark dreams in which he fell down and down without a prayer of finding something to grab onto and he'd wake up sweating- the feeling of dread like a white wave drenching everything around him. That was when he didn't want to believe.

As it turned out, there were other reasons not to want to believe.

* * *

He was standing on the pitch, looking down through the transparent green plastic as was his custom, noticing just how far he really could fall should the anti-gravity fail. He just stared, no sound coming from the crowd, the moment seeming suspended in time somehow. Rationally, he was thinking he had to get going, had to start running- the match would start soon. At the same time, he felt like it wasn't all that important; the only thing that mattered was the peace he felt in this moment. He just stood there, letting his thoughts wander, forgetting the world around him.

And all of a sudden it hit him- he needed to get going- for real this time. There was something he needed to do, somewhere he needed to be- but he just couldn't remember. He stood there and racked his brain, knowing that it was important- more important than anything. It was like having a word on the tip of your tongue but not being able to say- the shadow of it was there, hanging over him, but he just couldn't see.

He decided he had to move, now was the time to go- he'd remember on the way. But his head was stuck; he strained and struggled to lift it, too look up, but his muscles were not responding. He tried to move anything- a leg, a hand, a toe even- but he couldn't.

He was totally paralysed.

He could feel sweat drip- or perhaps a tear, he really couldn't tell- roll down his immobile face and he wanted to scream. The panic rattled about inside of him, he wanted to flail, to throw his arms and legs about wildly. He just wanted to be free from this, whatever this was.

He wondered whether everyone was watching him- he felt alone but he was on the pitch. There had to be cameras, players and spectators. The idea of them all staring at him, when he was like this, made him feel distinctly uneasy. Why wasn't anyone coming to help him?

He tried to calm himself; he was D'jok, the star striker of the Snow Kids, someone would come. They couldn't just leave him there. His father was the most famous pirate in the galaxy- he would come and save him. But he didn't believe any of it. He knew in his gut he was stuck.

Wildly, he wondered if he'd been in some sort of accident with the Xenon's flux. Or maybe he was dying and he just didn't realise it. The thought sent a weird chill down his spine- everything in him wanted to shudder but he stayed totally still.

He pushed the thought out of his mind. He was fine; he was going to be fine. All he had to do was find the strength to move. He was young and strong- surely he could do this one tiny thing?

He pushed harder and harder, thinking all the time about playing, how he used to be able to kick the ball at speeds that would dizzy most people. He tried to summon the Breath, to feel that energy coursing through his veins. He willed himself to jump up, to be free again. All for nothing.

All the while, the shadow of a thought seemed to be getting ever heavier as he struggled. He could feel it weighing down upon him, creating the strange sensation that he was sinking despite being as still as a tombstone.

After a while, it seemed like everything within him slumped. He gave up. He let his eyes glaze over, defeated, just hoping that it would be over soon.

He started to lose all sense of time. He could have been there for days or mere minutes, he could not tell anymore. No part of him hurt and yet it was the most acute agony he had ever experienced.

Suddenly, out of no-where, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He breathed out all of a sudden, in relief. But then- nothing. Had he been imagining it? Was he hallucinating?

He felt another tap. His heart practically leaped in his chest- from jubilation or fear...

From his frozen position, he could see the shadow shift- there was someone standing directly in front of him now he knew. The waiting felt even more unbearable- if that was even possible. He felt a hand on his chin and instinctively he wanted to pull away.

Instead he felt the hand push under his chin to raise his head.

'Mei' he wanted to blurt but as he became able to see what was in front of him, he found himself looking into Sinedd's eyes instead.

"I-" he started to say, cutting himself off when he realised in shock that he could speak, now. He flexed his fingers, wondering why he had never realised how good it felt just to do that simple motion before.

He jogged a little on the spot, stretching and moving every part of his body he could think of. Then he found his attention being drawn back to Sinedd's silent presence.

"Thanks," D'jok said, meaning it completely sincerely. A baffled tone still slipped into his voice- why would Sinedd help him? Had he even meant to?

"Don't worry about it." Sinedd said it in such an arrogant fashion, D'jok couldn't help but wonder whether Sinedd had had anything to do with his weakened state to begin with and had only helped him so he could lord it over him.

"Sinedd, what is going on?" More frustration came out in his voice than he would have liked; hostility didn't get you anywhere with Sinedd.

Sinedd shrugged, half-heartedly. "What do you think is happening? That's the real question."

"Don't play games with me, I'm in no mood." D'jok gestured his arms outwards, emphasising his words.

Sinedd looked away, a strange smile on his face, his usual smirk filled with more sadness than usual. He casually walked to the edge of the pitch and looked towards the stands, facing away from D'jok.

"You used to like playing games with me, don't you remember? We used to magnet board down the slopes of Akillian together; I even let you win sometimes." His voice was very flat, neutral even, like he was reading out of a history textbook. "I always manage to forget, don't you? I always forget that there was time when you called me friend."

D'jok heard Sinedd's voice crack over the word friend- like he was attempting to spit it but it had collapsed under the weight of something more than vitriol.

"I remember, Sinedd," he said, shortly- because it was true. He did occasionally think about it- it was just that it seemed more natural now to think of him as having been his enemy from the start. "But what's the point too all this?"

Sinedd looked back at D'jok now. "I always hated you."

"Why?" Sinedd hadn't answered his first question but he was pretty sure there wasn't any choice but to go alone with whatever this was.

"Because you always hated me." Sinedd walked back towards him now.

D'jok shook his head, instinctively. He tried to remember back, it was all so hazy but he thought he could remember a time when Sinedd's face didn't invoke feelings of anger, a time when they might have actually gotten along.

Sinedd continued regardless, stepping forwards until their bodies were touching, resting his hands on the back of D'jok's neck. D'jok wondered whether he should pull away but he felt compelled to stay, to listen to the conclusion of what Sinedd had to say.

"You always hated me because I was nothing but your shadow." With that, Sinedd leaned even further in, touching his lips to D'jok's. It started out soft, gentle even, before it started to become ever more furious and desperate. D'jok had never knew he had wanted this so badly until it had actually happened.

He put his hands on the back of Sinedd's neck, grasping at him, but only to find his hands go through air. He could feel the leftover wisps of Smog fill his lungs as he looked around.

"Sinedd! Sinedd!" he yelled. His voice echoed around the stadium but Sinedd was nowhere to be seen.

He ran around the pitch, searching aimlessly. It was only after what seemed like an eternity that he heard a faint sound- Sinedd had materialised again mid-air, the Smog fading away around him. D'jok watched in silent horror as Sinedd flopped down onto the pitch from a height, a horrific crunch reverberating through the stadium as his body made impact with the hard plastic.

D'jok ran over, knowing already that it was all to late.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying not to sound panicked- trying and failing. Every bone in Sinedd's body looked broken- his left foot was sticking out at an odd angle and D'jok thought he could see the bone coming through.

Sinedd laughed, a faint and bitter laugh interspersed with coughing. "You can't save me, D'jok." There was blood on his lips and his eyes seemed to be filled with shadow, his skin more pallid than usual.

"Sinedd, don't go, please." He had always hated crying but tears were starting to come to his eyes regardless. "Sinedd, please."

He pounded his fist on Sinedd's chest, shook him as hard he could, but there was no life to been seen in those eyes. He shouted Sinedd's name over and over, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

And then-

* * *

He was awake! The alarm violently snapped his out of the dream, leaving him dazed and confused. The sunlight that was streaming through the blinds was blinding. He looked around, touching down on the bed; he felt his cheeks and realised they were wet.

After a while he rolled over and nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with Mei. In his disorientation, he'd forgotten for a moment that Mei was staying over for the holidays. Perhaps it was the guilt over 'betraying' her but she also looked none too pleased.

"What were you dreaming about?" She crossed her arms. So she was annoyed.

"Nothing, I mean- I don't remember." He felt like he was almost going to faint.

"You were talking in your sleep again."

"So?" He tried to gather himself enough to sound irritated in turn; the best defence was a good offence, he'd always believed that.

"You kept saying Sinedd's name," she said, her voice hitting a high pitch. "It sounded passionate."

D'jok forced a laugh. "What are you talking about? The only dreams I have about Sinedd are about me defeating him in the Galactik Football Cup. I was probably just making sure he was paying attention to my victory."

Mei's face softened a little but she still seemed a little sceptical.

"What are you getting all paranoid about?" He put on his best nonchalant tone. "It was just a dream."

Mei allowed herself to smile. "I'm going to take a shower; I'll see you in a minute."

He breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the room. He allowed himself just lie in bed, feeling that something would shatter if he moved from that spot. It had just felt so real; the emotions he had felt for Sinedd had been so raw...

He forcibly pushed himself up from the bed as if to try and shake the feeling.

What he had said to Mei was right. It was just a dream and dreams didn't have to mean a damn thing. It was probably just something that he ate. Or just a random collection of images that somehow managed to nestle into his brain. It wasn't prophecy or psychological insight- it was about as meaningful as that dream he'd once had where he'd had to do a maths test whilst dancing to salsa music. Sometimes weird stuff just rattled around your brain. It just happened.

A stray thought broke through the barrage of his self-reassurance. 'Did I write Sinedd off too soon? Should I do something?' He couldn't say why but that one little thought made him feel more scared than facing the Lightnings on the field. He hadn't even realised it but he'd started to pace around the room.

He forced a laugh again. He was being stupid, why should he have to do anything based off an idiotic dream?

He got dressed, trying to stick to his routine as usual- he was going to go to the kitchen and have breakfast with his girlfriend and his mother but he found himself hesitating. He stood there, in the middle of the room for a good while, just listening to the sound of the shower coming from down the hallway.

He shook himself out of it one final time and started to run to put the eggs on; to run back to is normal life.

It had only been a dream after all.

**That's it for this fic- it got a little more angsty than I anticipated (and than the prompt implied) so I think (like I've done before with another fic) I'm going to do another more light-hearted version based on the prompt (I really like prompts like this one because it gives me lots of potential ways I can play it). I included the bit about Sinedd and D'jok having been friends in the past because it came up in a discussion that mercuuu and I had about the Sinedd/D'jok thing. Also, for this fic, it's my head canon that Mei's boyfriend before D'jok turned out to be gay, so that's why she's a little paranoid about it. In terms of D'jok's dream, I tried to straddle a line between making it somewhat dreamlike (in that things don't quite make sense and things just happen) but without making it too random and meaningless; I hope it came across. Anyways, I'll stop blabbering one- please review and let me know what you think! **


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